Car brands can often get tied with certain personas and stereotypes. Sometimes, this can bring people together and create a sense of community. For example, Jeep owners will put rubber ducks on each other’s Jeeps as a sign of appreciation and admiration. Other associations are less positive — like Nissan owners being thought of as reckless drivers. 

So what association does Subaru have? To some, it’s “geared towards lesbians.”  

In the TikTok, Ashley Gavin (@ashgavscomedy) shares how one audience member asks her why lesbians love Subarus so much. To her surprise, the audience member gets an answer from a Subaru social media manager in the crowd.

The TikTok went viral and has generated over 3.6 million views as of this writing.

Man Has Question For Lesbians

In the video, gay comedian Ashley Gavin decides to take some audience member questions when one man asks about Subarus. 

“Let’s just get it out of the way. What is the thing with Subarus?” the man asks.

The crowd erupts in laughter, as well as the comedian. The man shrugs with a playful smile. 

Gavin admits she doesn’t know, but takes a stab at answering his question.

“My guess is that they are practical. Can carry all the stage management equipment, hiking equipment, double ended [adult toys],” she responds. 

The humorous answer got a nice reaction from the crowd. Then, out of nowhere, a woman interjected that she works for the Subaru social media team.

“I do the Subaru social media marketing,” she yells.

The comedian immediately directs the attention to the Subaru social media marketing member to answer the question. 

“In the 90s, [Subaru] built this cult-like following,” she begins.

“The cult following being lesbians,” the comedian interrupts.

“Then in the last couple of years, they started incorporating this thing where if you have a Subaru for a long time, they’ll send you a metal stamp,” she explains. 

“So what you are saying to me is that a community of lesbians who love pins — they’re like, ‘What car do I get? I want something reliable, but it’s gotta be within my budget. *gasps* A pin?!” the comedian riffs. 

The social media manager mentions how the company just can’t specifically target one group.

“We can’t just target lesbians, so the strategy became basically just showing dogs,” she shares. 

“Lesbians were like ‘that’s me!’ And straight men were like, ‘I love dog,’” the comedian responds.

When Did Subaru Start Marketing To Lesbians? 

In the 1990s, Subaru decided to niche down marketing efforts after struggling with sales. One of the markets they specifically targeted was lesbians. This decision turned out to be a smash hit with the lesbian community, as Subaru’s cars fit their needs. 

Priceonomics reports that lesbians were four times more likely to buy a Subaru compared to the average car buyer. 

“Martina Navratilova is a spokesperson. What more do you want?” a customer told Car Talk.  

In 1996, Subaru used tennis superstar Martina Navratilova in Subaru marketing. With the “What Do We Know, We’re Just Girls,” commercial featuring Navratilova, the lesbian community felt empowered and seen. 

Additionally, print advertisements made nods towards approval for the lesbian community. These advertising taglines included “entirely comfortable with its orientation” and “likes to be driven hard and be put away wet.”

Aaron Cole from Subaru told MotorBiscuit, “Subaru has a long history of supporting many communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, for several decades. We’re grateful for the loyalty our owners show us, and we are consistently listening to their feedback.”

“Lesbians Didn’t Choose Subaru, Subaru Chose Lesbians” 

Viewers took the opportunity to add humorous remarks to this whole interaction in the comments section. 

“Lesbians didn’t choose Subaru. Subaru [chose] lesbians,” one TikTok commenter added. 

“As a man with a Subaru, and plans to buy more, I guess I’m lesbian now,” another commented.

“This man is a genius! A real legitimate question!” a third shared. 

Other commenters reiterated that Subaru was one of the first companies to stand by the LGBTQ+ community, with many mentioning Navratilova. 

“Subaru was the first car company to be gay friendly in their commercials and endorsements with famous lesbian tennis star Martina Navratilova,” one added. 

“It started when tennis player Martina Navratilova was outed and the only company who stood by her and still employed her as a spokesperson was Subaru. That was when we started buying them. So, that’s the thing with lesbians and Subaru,” another shared.

How To Get A Subaru Badge

As the video mentioned, Subaru drivers can receive a badge to add onto their Subarus. This program is known as Subaru Badge Of Ownership. Each Subaru driver can get a free badge displaying hobbies and interests.

“Our community of Subaru enthusiasts thrives on adventure and loves sharing their passions,” per Subaru. 

To build your own badge, you first select your loyalty number or how many Subarus you have owned. After this, you get to select lifestyle icons which display your passions. These icons can include symbols for pride, bike riding, hiking, loving dogs, military, camping, yoga, and several more. 

Subaru drivers can select up to five lifestyle icons to feature on the badge.

Subaru told MotorBiscuit, “The Subaru Badge of Ownership program began in 2010 as [a] way for owners to customize their vehicles based on their interests, for free. We don’t have an exact number of badges we’ve sent out, but we estimate it’s more than 1 million. Since June 2024, we’ve averaged about 2,300 orders weekly with 5 badges per order.”

@ashgavscomedy an educational experience #gay #lesbian #lgbt #funnylesbian #ashleygavin ♬ original sound – Ashley Gavin

MotorBiscuit has contacted Ashley Gavin via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We’ve also contacted Subaru via email. We’ll update if either party responds.